Four in 10 UK employees would risk lying on their CV

Four in 10 Brits would lie on their CV if they thought they could get away with it, new research has found.

A survey conducted by Experian company BackgroundChecking.com, sampling more than 1,000 Brits, found 42% of respondents know of individuals who have altered information on their CV.

Companies are therefore urged to thoroughly check applicants CVs, as 66% of respondents do not believe employers do so, while 87% of respondents said it would act as a deterrent.

Likely types of ‘CV fraud’ include salary (23%), level of previous experience (14%), and educational qualifications (13%), followed by dates of employment (10%), and job title (9%).

And bisecting the sexes, the survey found 43% of the men would falsify their CV if they thought they could get away with it, while 64% of female respondents said they would not.

Steve Bailey, managing director of BackgroundChecking.com, said: “Chancing fraudsters seem to be reliant on the fact that prospective employers do not check the information that is stated on CVs and job applications.

“It further highlights the need for employers to recognise the threat of employee fraud and ensure that organisations invest in professional background checking. Indeed, 79% of those questioned think that employers should do more background checking of the details on CVs and job application forms,” Bailey concluded.